The prior art discloses a number of devices useful for escaping from a burning building. Some of these devices take the form of elevators which are lowered along the outside wall of the building. None of the devices disclosed by the prior art, however, include provision for remote operation and remote power supply. Nor do any of the prior art devices include provision for assuring that the car of the elevator will be held against the side of the building. These are important considerations, especially with the very high buildings presently being built. They are especially important considerations in windy areas where fires in tall buildings can be expected to spread very rapidly and where panic of the occupants of the building is a serious threat.
The present invention provides an escape elevator operable on external power and which is remotely controllable. The present invention further provides an escape elevator which has the aforementioned advantages and which further operates along a pair of tracks which serve to hold the elevator adjacent the building whereby the car of the elevator cannot be torn away from the building in high winds. These and other advances introduced by the present invention will be apparent from the description which follows.